


Trick or Treat

by aussiebee



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Canon Highlights, Derek Hale is a Softie, Fluff, Halloween, M/M, Only a little bit of Sterek, Sterek Week 2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-01
Updated: 2019-11-01
Packaged: 2021-01-16 11:29:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21270332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aussiebee/pseuds/aussiebee
Summary: Those trick or treaters Derek scared? Yeah, maybe he should have scared them a little better.





	Trick or Treat

Derek was aware of eyes watching him, but couldn’t find anything suspicious. Extending his senses he heard several heartbeats, but it was a semi-public place, so that didn’t mean much. Instead, he focussed his attention back on Stiles, staring particularly hard at his mouth until he realised, trailing off mid sentence to swipe a hand self-consciously over his mouth, rolling his eyes when Derek just smirked at him.

He glanced away and just caught sight of three kids disappearing past the window of the cafe he and Stiles were sitting it, the echoes of their rabbiting heartbeats just barely audible on the edges of what he could hear

Huh.

* * *

Halloween the next year was looking to be a quiet one again, so Derek was surprised when the tentative knock came at his door as the sun was setting.

“Trick or treat!”

He had candy ready to take to the Stilinski’s place a little later, so he grabbed a bag of chocolate favourites and turned all the lights off as he slowly dragged the door open to let it squeal ominously, remaining behind it for a beat before stepping into view and startling the three boys who stood waiting. Derek was pretty sure they were the same three kids as last year, only this time one was dressed as Iron Man, one as Thor, and the third as Loki, complete with papier-mâché horns curling unevenly back from his forehead.

There was a long beat as he scowled at them and they stared back, breaths caught on an anticipatory inhale until Derek pulled open the bag and deposited large handfuls of chocolate into their bags.

They continued to stare, and Derek stared back, gradually letting the Alpha red seep into his eyes, getting brighter and brighter as a growl rumbled up through his throat. The boys’ eyes got wider and wider until Derek snarled and they fled, their screams echoing back to Derek as he allowed a quiet howl to break free to follow them.

He wondered for a moment if he had gone too far, but the scent of terrified excitement floated back to him, and he smiled to himself as he returned to the apartment to get ready to head out.

* * *

The next couple of years followed the same pattern. The boys grew taller, their costumes more elaborate, their curiosity in Derek more blatant. He started to see them around town more frequently, usually as a group huddling together and whispering their suppositions about him. It became something of a game to all of them, Derek making a point of ignoring the boys and pretending he didn’t know they were there until he could spin on his heel and stare directly at them, sending them scurrying. On one memorable occasion he managed to lose them in the supermarket and snuck up behind them as they peered around the end of the aisle looking for him.

“Hello, boys,” he said, making them leap about a foot into the air. He chuckled to himself as they ran, then continued his shopping in a much better mood.

* * *

Then one year the knock came, but only two of the boys showed up. Derek frowned as he doled out the candy.

“Where’s your friend?”

The other two looked surprised, then downcast. The blond was the first to speak. “Jimmy’s sick. He’s in the hospital.”

“We’re going there after, to share our candy with him,” the curly-haired kid added.

Derek considered this for a moment. “Wait here.” He ducked back into the loft and returned with two entire bags of fun-sized treats which he gave to the boys. “Happy Halloween.”

The kids looked delighted, turning to go with a renewed bounce in their step, before the blond grabbed the other and they turned. “Hey mister?”

Derek lifted his eyebrows in question.

“Can… can you do the face?”

That made him pause. “Why do you want to see the same trick every year?”

The blond shrugged, seemingly gaining a little confidence now that Derek was engaging in conversation. “S’not a trick though, is it? You’re something, aren’t you?”

“Am I?” Derek asked mildly, then allowed his face to change, grinning as the boys took off, shrieking and whooping excitedly.

*  


It was a matter of a few phone calls and a favour from Stiles to find out that Jimmy with James Arthur Stevenson, and for his hospital bills covering his chemo treatment for leukaemia to be paid in full.

*  


“It was you, wasn’t it?”

Turning in the carpark, pushing the door closed behind him and locking the Toyota, Derek leaned back against the vehicle and crossed his arms over his chest. “Was it?”

“You paid for Jimmy to get better. The hospital said it was anonymous, but it was you, wasn’t it?”

“Look, kid-”

“Ben.”

“Ben. I don’t know what you’re talking about-”

Derek broke off when Ben launched at him, throwing his arms around Derek’s chest and hugging him tight.

“Thank you,” Ben said, his voice muffled against Derek’s shirt, and also with tears. “He’s our best friend, I don’t know what Ricky and me would do if he…”

“It’s okay,” Derek said eventually as he held Ben close, questioning the wisdom of hugging some strange kid in broad daylight in a parking lot, but unable to ignore his heartbreak. “I’m sure he’ll be okay, and you three will be back to stalking me in no time.”

Ben hiccoughed a laugh before stepping back, swiping his hand across his eyes.

“Go see your friend,” Derek said softly, squeezing Ben’s shoulder and heading inside.

*  


The next Halloween found a bald-headed Jimmy-as-Grue with his two yellow minions on Derek’s doorstep, and he just laughed and handed out the candy before changing just enough to make his eyebrows disappear and his fangs descend. They boys laughed their way back down the stairs, and the pleased warmth in Derek’s chest lasted for days afterwards.

* * *

A couple more years passed and somehow the kids became a part of Derek’s life. Ben got a job waiting tables at the diner, Jimmy restocked shelves at the library and Ricky seemed to enjoy doing a little of everything. Derek often saw him walking dogs from the local shelter, bagging groceries at the store, or supporting the elderly residents of the old folks’ home as they strolled around town from time to time. They all stopped to chat or threw enthusiastic waves when they saw him, and Derek did the same.

The year the boys turned seventeen was the first year Derek and Stiles spent Halloween at the loft instead of the Stilinski’s house. Stiles had graduated college and was home on break from Quantico, but John was away for a conference and Stiles had invited himself over to the loft to spend the night and catch up.

Derek opened the door when the expected knock came, only to start laughing when the three boys were stood before him in matching jeans, Henleys and with painted-on stubble. It was the missing eyebrows that he was particularly tickled by, and as he stood aside to let the boys in, he was unsurprised by Stiles’ bark of laughter.

“So these are the little punks you were telling me about, huh?” he said, coming over from where he’d been fussing with the stereo. “I gotta say, they’ve nailed your look.”

Introductions were made and Derek told the boys that he and Stiles were about to order pizza for dinner if they wanted to stay and have some. They all settled in and spent the night hanging out, conversation easy as the boys discussed their plans for college, for spring break, for the objects of their affection. They ate pizza and drank soda, and when it was time for the boys to leave it was with traded phone numbers and emails, and promises to stay in touch.

After they were gone, once Derek and Stiles had finished cleaning up, Stiles came up behind him and wrapped both of his arms around Derek’s waist, pressing a kiss to the back of his neck.

“You’re a good man, Derek Hale.”

Turning within the circle of Stiles’ arms, Derek smiled fondly and lifted his hands to cup Stiles’ beautiful face between his palms. “I’m glad you’re home.”

They kissed softly, gently, this intimacy between them still new and novel. But Derek was happy, happier than he ever thought he could be, so he held Stiles close and tried his best to prove it.

* * *

The first Halloween after all the boys left for college, Derek was surprised by the knock on his door. He opened it up to a group of semi-terrified little kids staring up at him, all in costume and holding bags for their candy. Stiles was forever leaving sweet things in the cupboards so Derek was able to hand out some chocolate, and happily sent them on their way with a snarl and a partial shift.

“Were you responsible for the kids still screaming in the parking lot?” Stiles asked a couple of minutes later when he let himself in.

“Look at this,” Derek said in lieu of replying as he held up his phone for Stiles to see the message he’d received.

It was a picture of Ben, Jimmy and Rick standing together, arms slung around each others’ shoulders and beaming widely at the camera as they stood in the middle of what looked like a party in full costume. _ Happy Halloween to our favourite werewolf! _ the accompanying text read. _ Hope you enjoy our parting gift! _

Stiles laughed and held up a couple of bags of candy. “Guess it’s a good thing they gave me a head’s up, I guess.”

* * *

That night, and for every Halloween after, the children of Beacon Hills stopped by Derek Hale’s place to see the best werewolf costume in town.


End file.
